Dance City is thrilled to announce a new dance heritage project which will bring together volunteers, dance enthusiasts and artists based in the North East to explore and map the region’s expansive and unique dance heritage. 

Dance City is the North East’s leading dance charity.  Our mission is to support the artistic life, education and health of people of all ages in the North East by making great dance experiences possible for everyone.  

The project is made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players. It is the first phase of a long-term project to create a digital dance archive at Dance City.  The project title, Call and Response, is inspired by the dance battle tradition, which is a central part of the heritage of dance forms from all over world, from flamenco to break dance.   Our aim is to celebrate the common, global, roots of many of these dance forms. 

We will be calling out for volunteers with an interest in dance or heritage to get involved with this exciting and unique project. The volunteers will research dance genres as varied as ballet, break dancing and Northumbrian folk dance – all of which have strong traditions in the North East but whose roots reveal connections with dance forms from all over the world. Visit our website or social media in the near future for more information.

As part of the project we will also be presenting dance heritage talks and practical workshops, dance events and an exhibition to share some of the stories researched during the project.  These will be open to the public and we encourage anyone who wants to try a new dance style and learn more about the region’s dance heritage to come along.  

Project manager, Laura Connolly has herself been steeped in the dance traditions of the North East from an early age, as one of only a handful of professional clog dancers in England.  She says “We are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to uncover and celebrate the rich heritage of dance in our region and are extremely grateful to National Lottery players for making this project possible. This project will not only preserve our past but also inspire future generations of dancers and dance enthusiasts. The North East is steeped in dance heritage and culture and there are many stories to be told. It is important to preserve the stories of the people and their communities alongside their dance steps. Heritage dance must be supported in a way that it can evolve to the present day to engage new audiences and I am really excited that the project brings clog dance, break dance and ballet together, this provides opportunity for some really creative collaboration alongside the exploration of similarities in the styles, the history and the communities of the North East both past and present”  

For more information, please contact: Laura Connolly Dance Heritage Manager, Dance City. Email: laura.connolly@dancecity.co.uk